Robust communication: drones have been given a jamming control channel
Mass deliveries of Hermes special communication devices for drones to the SSO zone have begun. The military receive more than 40,000 sets every month. They will help ensure group control of drones, coordinating their actions in real time. Experts note that the novelty makes it possible to maintain stable control of UAVs even in conditions of active counteraction of the enemy's electronic warfare (EW) complexes.
How not to lose a drone
Special communication for drones provides group control of drones, allowing to coordinate their actions in real time, told "Izvestia" in the company-developer design bureau "Hermes".
According to engineers, the main advantage of the system is that it operates on non-standard frequency ranges with the possibility of their rapid change. Also the number of frequency ranges can be increased depending on the tasks and on the electronic situation in combat conditions.
- Stable communication even in difficult conditions provides the ability to work in a wide range of frequencies and their change. Thus, if the drone in flight is affected by REB, the UAV can be switched to another frequency with the help of our development. In addition, the system allows it to start operating on multiple frequencies simultaneously," explained the Hermes Design Bureau representative.
Fighters in the SWO zone were satisfied with the novelty. "At a distance of about 8 km from the outrigger, and with difficult terrain, the signal level did not fall below 60 dBm. Satisfied, in general," - shared with "Izvestia" feedback from a fighter representative of the company.
"The bird flies amazingly! It doesn't react to REB, it just flew directly and didn't think about anything," another fighter shared his impressions.
According to him, the developers are always in touch with the fighters. Periodically, they travel to the area of the SSE to see how their device works in person.
The importance of a jamming line
The very possibility of using drones will depend on the jamming line in the future, military expert Dmitry Kornev told Izvestia.
- This is a very good technical groundwork that should be developed, because FPV drones are becoming a weapon system like anti-tank missile systems or grenade launchers.
Sergey Kurapov, a researcher of the Research and Development Department of the Moscow State University of Technical University, noted the high characteristics of the Hermes' interference-protected communications in his conversation with Izvestia.
- I was told by the operators operating in the zone of SWO that if the frequencies are correctly selected for the location, then this system can work really well, - said Kurapov. - Now the enemy uses such tactics: in addition to jamming devices, their ERS equipment monitors the airwaves, trying to catch video signals from our drones and calculate the launch point and position of the UAV operator. Even if the operator camouflaged the position and launched the drone away from the shelter, the enemy finds on the map the nearest places to the launch site, where theoretically the operator can be located, and puts mines there, sparing no ammunition at all. But if we use a video signal encoder, the enemy will intercept it, but will not be able to decode it, there will just be interference on his screen.
According to the expert, the front line is now conditionally divided into areas where certain communication frequencies are "working".
- This distribution depends on the parity of REB and RER from our side and from the enemy. The AFU is constantly trying to figure out our working frequencies, jam them with jammers, or track the launch point of our drones using intercepted video signals. We also jam enemy frequencies and try to re-tune our operating frequencies if they are detected. However, in the unprotected version of the communication organization, the realization that the enemy has detected you may come after the loss of a certain number of drones, or worse, our human losses," the researcher explained.
Initially, the company produced REB systems, so its developers were able to understand how to effectively fit between suppression bands.
- We started doing all this after four employees were mobilized from the factory. At first, we made birch stoves and sapper cat hooks. We started developing Hermes at the same time," the company said.
"Hermes" is fully produced in Russia, the company has its own assembly lines. Production is localized in five cities, in particular, in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
